International

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will reportedly affirm with United States President Donald Trump that any proposal by North Korea for a "phased and simultaneous" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be refused.

Japan's Kyodo News reported on Sunday that Abe and Trump will agree to demand "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization," starting with North Korea disabling its nuclear facilities and readmitting inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency without preconditions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un proposed the "phased, simultaneous" steps toward denuclearization at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing late last month.

Kyodo said that with a huge gulf between North Korea and the United States and Japan, it is unclear whether Pyongyang would be willing to make major concessions if other countries depart from the "action for action" principle adopted in previous dialogues.

Abe and Trump plan to hold two days of talks in Florida this week. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily said that the leaders are also making arrangements to play golf while there.